Tag: Automobile

So many people end up in car accidents every year. One of the common reasons was because the driver wasn’t paying enough attention. Some apparently can’t let go of their smartphones when they’re on the road, while others are too busy tinkering with their radios, or putting on makeup.

The hard part about driving isn’t exactly the driving part; it’s actually parking. I can drive automatics and stick shifts, but it takes me close to a quarter of an hour to park after I’ve found myself a spot.

While there are plenty of ways to add a remote-controlled starter to your car so you can let the engine warm up before you get in it, it’s not common to find a car that you can actually drive using the same remote.

I think many of us would appreciate a car that can drive itself for those long road trips or when you’re stuck in traffic. We have some systems today to make driving in traffic easier such as cruise control that can stop and start the car moving without driver interaction.

Parents and teachers have taught us at a young age not to “judge a book by its cover” because sometimes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts – and this doesn’t just apply to people or actual books, either.

Think back a number of years ago when OnStar first launched. The ability to talk on your cell phone without actually having to hold a cell phone was really novel. Of course, this was back in the days before Bluetooth was as common as it is in cars today.

Do you, or someone you know have a bad habit of losing their car? If you’ve always lived in a small town, you probably haven’t run into the problem of losing your car in a parking space very often.

This has got to be one of the ultimate car simulators out there. Naturally, all this awesomeness doesn’t come cheap, but hey, it’s the best! You’ll spend $191,000 (USD) on this device, which is more than quite a few supercars.

What’s red, shiny, goes fast, and looks like a vehicular accident? The Pontiac Aztek, that’s what. I’d rather have the Snaefell, François Knorreck’s lovingly handcrafted car-motorcycle hybrid. It’s easier to think of it as a motorcycle with a car-like sidecar, because I don’t think that you can drive – or steer – with the car half.

Developed by researchers at MIT’s SENSEable City Lab in cooperation with Audi, AIDA (Affective Intelligent Driving Agent) is a drivers’ companion that offers useful information while interacting in a “socially appropriate and informative way.” AIDA will be mounted on a car’s dashboard, where it’s “face” will be visible to the driver.

Here’s an interesting blog I fished out of Dark Roasted Blend‘s Link Latte: Rickey Taylor’s Sharpened Pencil, where said Mr. Taylor, a CADD designer/drafter, posts his doodles about his ideas for inventions. So is he a modern day Da Vinci, a source of inspiration, or just a dude with a surplus of paper, pencils and time?

The Pronto4 strap-on kit from Utah-based Kairos Autonomi can turn any ordinary vehicle into an autonomous and unmanned one, able to follow waypoints and can go as fast as 90 mph. Of course, users also have the option to control their vehicles remotely.

When I came across this design for a retro-futuristic Chevy Camaro (aka the Steampunk Kamaro), I nearly lost my mind. Then I realized that it wasn’t real, and only a graphic rendering by artist John ‘Jazz’ Vernon.

This amazing new advertisement for MINI uses augmented reality (AR) technology to create a truly interactive media piece out of a 2-dimensional magazine ad. Using AR tracking technology, as you hold the ad up to your computer’s webcam, you’ll see a 3-D model of a MINI Cabrio convertible that moves as you turn the sheet of paper around.

Most of the USB memory card readers I come across are rather pedestrian. Conversely, this one is rather automotive. ElectroJoe’s Motor Maniac is a 16-in-1 memory card reader that looks like a (slightly deformed) little red race car.

Want to take all of your digital media on the road? VMOD mounts inside your vehicle and lets you easily move all of your music, video, photos and other media to your car via a Wi-Fi connection.